The "Daily Examen" Spiritual Practice
"Father, forgive them, they know not what they do."
(Lk 23:34)
An unexamined life is not worth living”
—Socrates
Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,
that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.”
(Romans 12:2)
Do you ever reflect on God's presence in your life?
An ancient, spiritual practice found in most religions asks each of us to apply our human capability of self-reflection to consider or review our relationship with God. One such practice was formulated in the sixteenth century by St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits, who taught in his Spiritual Exercises that you can find God in all things and at every moment, even in the ordinary experiences of your life. St. Ignatius offered the Examen as a daily practice of prayerful reflection on the events of your day in order to help you to detect God’s presence, discern God's plan for your well-being, and to deepen your relationship with God.
Practicing the Examen encourages daily mindfulness by reflecting on where you experienced God's grace or blessings throughout the day. This fosters in you a sense of gratitude and thanksgiving, as well as helping you to become more attuned to life's positive moments. The Examen prompts self-awareness, helping you to better understand what motivates your desires, emotions, behaviors, or choices. The Examen can help you to evaluate whether your desires, behavior, and actions align with core values and aspirations, such as love, truth, goodness, peace, and so on, encouraging intentional living. During the course of reflecting on your struggles and challenges during the day, the Examen can help you to identify and process those patterns of thought, words, and actions that may need your attention or need to be changed. This can lead to personal transformation and growth, and a clearer sense of direction, meaning, and purpose in your life. Most importantly, the Examen can help to deepen your faith and your relationship with God by recognizing how God's spiritual reality integrates with and pervades your daily life.
There are many different adaptations of the Examen, but they are generally centered around the following five-step practice offered by St. Ignatius:*
1. Quiet yourself and your mind, and become aware of God’s presence. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you to bring clarity and understanding as you look back on the persons, events and experiences you encountered during your day.
2. Review the day with gratitude, which is a foundation of your relationship with God. Recall those particular experiences with people and events, many of which may, at first, seem insignificant such as something that caused you to smile, or a kind word someone may have said to you, or something that brought you joy, peace, or delight. God is often found in the ordinary, daily events of your life. Express gratitude and thanksgiving to God for these experiences.
3. Pay attention to your emotions. One of the basic principles of the Examen is that you can detect the presence of God through your emotions. Share with God your desires and feelings you experienced during the day such as love, joy, peace, confidence, compassion, sadness, anxiety, regret, resentment, anger, boredom, frustration, and the like. As stated above, positive motions can lead you to express your gratitude. God will often show you, through your negative emotions, where you may have fallen short during the day to act or respond with love, understanding, kindness, or compassion. Ask for God's forgiveness, healing, and for direction to guide you in the future.
4. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you to see one thought, feeling, or experience—positive or negative—that God thinks is important for you to consider at this moment and pray to God about it, and whether you are being called to give praise, express gratitude, repent, seek or grant forgiveness, or offer intercession for others.
5. Look toward tomorrow. Ask God to grant you insight to tomorrow’s challenges and to be open to God’s presence. Pay attention to the emotions you experience. Express your desires to God. Ask for wisdom, understanding, and grace to guide you.
The Examen is usually prayed twice each day, once at noontime and the other at the end of the day. If you are just starting out, begin by engaging in this prayer practice at the end of each day. Follows are some resources to help you to better understand and guide you in your practice of the Examen.
VIDEOS OTHER RESOURCES
"The Examen" (Jesuits of South Africa)
"The Ignatian Examen" (Fr. James Martin)
"The Examen" (Audio Podcast by Fr. James Martin)
"The Examen" (St. Beuno Jesuit Spirituality Center)
"The Daily Examen" (Reunion)
"The Examen Prayer" (Fr. Timothy Gallagher)
"The Art of Examen" (24-7 Prayer)
"Prayer of Examen - Evening" (Guided Meditation)
"Examen" (Guided Meditation)
"Examen Prayer" (Fr. Robert Spitzer, SJ)
You can download on your cell phone or tablet from the Apple Store or the Play Store, the free app "Reimagining the Examen," by Loyola Press. This app offers a variety of ways that guide you in the practice the Examen.
"A Method of Making the General Examen"
"The Daily Examen" (Ignatian Spirituality)
"Try the Daily Examen" (Fr. Mark Thibodeaux, SJ)
"The Daily Examen" (Ignatian Spirituality)
"Catholic Spirituality in Practice" (C 21 - Boston College)
Links to other Articles, Videos, Music, practices, and Resources for Lent and Easter